More World Series coverage from The Long Game this week: Dodgers vs. Blue Jays World Series preview, Dodger Bullpen Enters, Hilarity Ensues, Yoshinobu Yamamoto Strikes Back, A Hater's Guide to the Games in LA, and Some Things are More Important Than Baseball.
Hi friends-
Well, we lived!
I did not think I would see another 18 inning World Series game 3 at Dodger Stadium like I did seven years ago but the universe had another plan.
That plan involved journeyman minor leaguer Will Klein throwing 72 pitches because there was no one left, and earning an improbable World Series win.
Klein was only added to the Dodgers’ World Series roster because their most reliable reliever, Alex Vesia, is away from the team dealing with a serious personal issue.
Please continue to keep the Vesia family in your thoughts. I didn’t notice this from my seat high up in the reserve level, but it was lovely to see after the game that all the team’s relief pitchers had his number #51 stitched onto their caps to support their brother.
I went on Joe Posnanski’s Poscast with Joe and Mike Schur this morning to talk about last night’s game. You can watch it here! Or listen to it wherever you get your Poscasts.
I’m running on very little sleep and my brain is spaghetti but here are my observations from attending last night’s 18 inning, 7-hour-long game in person:
Just like in game 3 of the 2018 World Series that went 18 innings, the Dodgers stopped selling food and drink and water in the ninth inning, which is absurd. I’m guessing it’s because they did not want to sell through their entire inventory on the first day of three World Series playoff games back-to-back-to-back. Or maybe it’s because someone doesn’t want to pay workers overtime wages. Anyway, we all almost starved again.
The scoreboard fully crashed out after the 14th inning stretch:
It got to the point where they both teams were bringing in headless pitchers because why not:
Drake wisely did not show up, but Justin Bieber did! I hope he comes back for his cousin1 Shane’s start tonight.
I wrote about how loudly George Springer would get booed when the Blue Jays starting lineups were announced at Dodger Stadium. I did not know the booing would continue so long that the public address announcer would have to pause for what felt like a full 20-30 seconds to let people vent before he could introduce the next batter. And I definitely didn’t think he’d be booed through his entire at-bats. A boo for Springer is really a boo for Rob Manfred, who mishandled the Astros sign stealing scandal so badly.
If Springer is out for the Series due to his oblique injury the Blue Jays are probably cooked.
Max Scherzer got booed, but he got maybe 15% of what Springer got.
Maybe the Dodgers don’t have a bullpen problem so much as they have a Blake Treinen problem?
